The States of Jersey Health and Social Services Department has announced that will develop an island-wide integrated care record to support acute, community, mental health and social care services, using InterSystems TrakCare. A ten year contract was signed yesterday by Anne Pryke, minister for health and social services, and Graham Frost, managing director for InterSystems [...]

Losing a partner and living alone can boost a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease if they have a particular genetic make-up, a Swedish study has found. Of the people with a particular gene flaw, those who had split up with or lost a partner before the age of 50 were at the highest risk. A [...]

The proposed new registration scheme for care workers is the latest regulatory measure for care provider to get to grips with. Although specialised care agencies fully support measures to enhance safety and professionalism in the sector, it is crucial to ensure that no unnecessary bureaucracy is added to the provision of care services. As a result, the REC’s [...]

Comensura wins £60m contract extension – 247 Professional Health welcomes the news and is ready to provide staffing throughout the Greater Manchester area for Comensura. The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) has extended its temporary recruitment contract with neutral vendor company Comensura, until 2012. The total value of the contract extension is estimated to be [...]

New Event Fast forward into the future I and II: creating an age friendly society From the events in March and June where the residents from New Earswick, local community groups (carers’ groups, older people’s forums) and sixth form students from local schools, gathered at the village Folk Hall to discuss how to create a [...]

Meridian Health, division of Meridian Business Support, has won a place on NHS PASA’s (Purchasing & Supply Agency’s) Framework for the Supply of Commercial Resources. Meridian Health will be charged with the supply of interim managers and senior level professionals.meridian-health Tina Cork, Meridian Health’s national account manager, says: “I am delighted that we have been awarded [...]

As the number of swine flu cases continues to rise, a locum recruiter is calling for greater guidance from health organisations on the insurance position of sessional GPs. Akbar Hassam, a recruitment manager, said that the insurance position of these locums who work within the NHS but are not contracted to it was unclear and needed [...]

An expected contraction of £15bn in NHS finances between 2001 and 2015, identified in a report published on Wednesday is good news for recruiters, according to Kate Bleasdale, vice chairman of Healthcare Locums. The report by the NHS Confederation warns that the cuts could lead to a reduction in costly permanent staff, and recommends using [...]

247 Professional Health welcomes the adult social care graduate management trainee scheme anounced this month. This is a challenging and exciting time for adult social care in England. The ambition for social care is that people are able to live their own lives as they wish, confident that services are of high quality, are safe [...]

Charities are demanding a better deal for the UK’s army of unpaid carers and have drawn up a carer’s poverty charter, calling for improved benefits, including an increase on the weekly carer’s allowance of £53.10. Carers UK, Mencap and the Alzheimers Society are among nine leading charities behind the charter, who aim to end carer poverty. Six [...]

A recent Social Care Sector report from Kevin Green, Chief Executive of the REC, and Peter Cullimore, REC Nursing and Social Care Group Chairman delivered vital information for professionals working in the healthcare markets, giving the answers to strategic business questions within the topics of Market Profile, Workforce Profile, Issues and Challenges for Employers, and Employer Characteristics. One of the important [...]

It has been announced on may 13 that the activities of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) will be phased out with procurement service responsibilities in the NHS being handled by the OGC. The Recruitemt and Employment Confederation (REC) says: “It has not always been an easy relationship between the recruitment industry and NHS PASA. [...]

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT), reported that the final apartments and cottages at Hartlepool’s innovative new retirement village, Hartfields, have now been completed. The finishing touches were made to the remaining 43 units last month and residents have already begun moving into their new homes. Among the new residents is Jeff Green, Maintenance Manager [...]

Are you an experienced Care Assistant? Are you an experienced Support Worker? Are you currently working with adults with learning disabilities? Are you currently working with adults with mental health issues? If you are then please phone 07786 065 402 and speak to Roz at Southport or 07505 111 758 and speak to Michelle at Preston We want [...]

Media attention to an outbreak of a new strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus increases concern about a large-scale outbreak of influenza (‘flu) among humans. UKHCA has produced “Pandemic Influenza Guidance for Homecare Providers”, which is available without charge from our website. UKHCA‘s member organisations also benefit from a free telephone helpline on 020 8288 5291. We [...]

Seven of Liverpool’s leading charities have joined together to launch the 800 Group and have pledged to work together and to support other charities across the city. They are: Age Concern Liverpool, Bradbury Fields, Henshaws, Imagine, Merseyside Society for Deaf People, Nugent Care, and; PSS ~ innovation that changes lives Between them have a combined [...]

Please be careful because families of vulnerable elderly people are being misled over possible help with care home fees, says a charity. Age Concern & Help the Aged says that some people struggling to sell a home to pay fees are not being offered council no-interest schemes they are entitled to. About 60,000 people a [...]

Cake For Clumber Marie Alexander from ‘The Wedding Rooms’ Formby, very kindly asked Sue from ‘Cake Lovers’, also based in The Wedding Rooms, to design and make an Easter cake for the children of our very own Clumber Lodge. Marie and her husband used to live next door to Clumber and knew of the fantastic [...]

The Liverpool IDS Disco was set up by Specialist Support Worker Stephen Purcival and service users of the IDS project. The aim of the Disco is to provide paid employment to people with learning difficulties and a chance for them to socialize and have fun. The Disco started in September 2007 and has gone from [...]

Policy-makers, service providers and commissioners, charities and service users have been discussing the care of older people in Northern Ireland, at an event hosted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The event, called ‘Older people: choice and independence‘, was held in Belfast on 25 February, and was endorsed by 11 key organisations (see below) in [...]